Mississippi River Trail (Louisiana) Photos

Mississippi River Trail (Louisiana) Description

The Mississippi River Trail is a system of disconnected, paved trails on the levees along both banks of the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana. The most popular segment, well-used by locals and visitors alike, extends from Audubon Park in New Orleans to the Bonnet Carré Spillway in St. Charles Parish.

The trail is referred to locally by many other names, including the New Orleans Levee Top Trail, the Levee Bike Path and the Mississippi Levee Trail. The trail also represents the majority of the southern component of a sprawling effort to create a paved biking and walking route along the entire length of the Mississippi River, stretching approximately 3,000 miles from Louisiana to Minnesota.

Parking and Trail Access

To access the trail in Destrehan, take Interstate 10 to I-310. Exit onto River Road (State Route 48) in Destrehan. (Do not cross the bridge over the Mississippi River.) Turn right on River Road and park at the baseball field under the highway.

Additional parking is available off River Road (SR 48) in Almedia and off River Road (SR 18) on the opposite bank of the Mississippi River (under I-310 in Luling).

Nice riding trail.

Rode from the zoo to the spillway and back. Really nice ride with no stopping. Total of 54.2 miles round trip. There is good parking next to the zoo. There is a bathroom about 16 miles north from the start.

Mississippi river trail

Great Ride

In town for a bachelor party this weekend. While the crazies slept, I rode from Audubon Park to the end and back. Just under 52 miles...All the trail is paved and some recently updated... Solid trail to log some miles. The ride back sucked a little due to being into the wind, so keep that in mind!

Awesome Trail

Rode the river levee trail yesterday. There are two sections of it that are closed. One is easy to navigate around and is short. The second is longer and you'll end up walking your bike. The plantations are amazing. Great views of the Mississippi River. Tandyou'll have to

perfect bike path

The trail extends from the Audubon Zoo parking lot all the way to the Bonnet Carre Spillway, a total of around 25 miles. It's a great trail, although as ckelleher0 mentioned there is little shade. However, I am a cyclist and find that it is perfect for early morning or evening training rides. There are a few service roads that cross the path, but they are rare and bikers / pedestrians have the right-of-way. It is sooo nice not to have such a stretch of bike trail with absolutely no concern for traffic.

There are plenty of places along River Rd to stop for a break or to refill your water bottles.

The levee construction is definitely a hindrance, but it is due to be complete by the end of 2015, I believe. Check out these two links for more information: http://bit.ly/1rw4mtj and http://bit.ly/1q8zXG8

However, even with the construction there is currently about 20 miles of continuous path open (as of 9/14) in Jefferson and St Charles Parishes.

Construction at the Audubon Entrance.

I left Audubon Park and traveled west along the trail. After 1.5 miles the trail is under construction. I tried to follow the trail along the heavily traveled side road and could not find where the construction ends after 1 more mile. I am not from the area and if someone else knows about the length of the construction please make that information available. I and from the Charlotte, NC area and was excited to travel this entire length only to be disappointed.

extended to the Bonnet Carrie Spillway

Ridden the path for many years,and seen it expand from Audubon Park to the Bonnet Carrie Spillway.Usually ride from Williams Blvd.to the Spillway and back.A 30 mile trip. (My favorite section).The car free, flat straight aways make for a great workout.......

Rollerblading Fiasco

First of all, I went there and Rollerbladed, NOT as a biker or runner, so you may want to take this with a grain of salt. The Trail is not smooth at all. It is very course in many areas, and small pebbles and stones are common. Also, many small repairs are needed due to wear and tear. One section was closed for about a mile down by Audubon Park so be weary of this possibility... You will have to walk the grassy surface. The Trail is also very suseptible to wind due to its elevation and proximity to the Mississippi River. Traffic crossings abound, due to the shipyard ports and employees driving in and out. Also, the smell of toxic waste and/or burning fuel will be noticed from time time.

The only redeeming quality about this trail is its truly spectacular views of the Mississippi, but even the view are diminished because of its industrial ports and smells.

I give the Trail 2 out of five stars out of generosity. In my opinion, you are much better off just going to Audubon Park and doing the 2 mile loop a few times instead.

Nice path - no shade

We rode this trail starting in Audubon park in late May. There is absolutely no shade, except for a huge bridge. It was brutal. There were lots of people on the path - most road bikes - and it did not seem unsafe, but with no shade, keep this ride to the late Fall - Winter - early Spring months.

Nice path to ride

This paved trail runs from Audubon Park in uptown New Orleans through Jefferson Parish and into St. Charles Parish. It ends in a small town called New Sarpy. The trail itself is very nice but seems to be always very windy going one way or the other. Being higher you catch the wind. If you want to add a couple more miles to the ride, you can go into Audubon Park at one end of the trail and there is a walking/ jogging/riding path that is two miles. You would cross River Road and go onto Magazine Street for about 3 blocks and enter the park. It is very nice - large old Oak trees line the path with a view of some lovely lagoons.

The path itself is very nice. At times you can see the ships and barges on the Mississippi River where the woods dividing the levee and the river are not too thick. Farther up the river into St. Charles Parish you will see grain elevators. I recommend this path. It is close to suburbs and easy to access. This web site mentions a couple of access points, but there are others as well. There is one in Jefferson Parish slightly upriver from Oschner Hospital on River Road behind Jeffeson Playground. There is a small parking lot next door to a Flea Market. And the restrooms across River Road are usually open at Jefferson Playground. Many cyclists and runners use this path. The Levee Police patrol it quite frequently, so it's pretty safe.